THE 5 DEVICES OF THE DEVIL
2 Cor. 2:11; Eph. 6:10-18
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: DIVORCE BECAUSE OF A 2-STORY HOUSE
1. Vicky asked for a divorce and appeared before the judge. The judge asked, "So tell me in your own words, Mrs. Franks, why are you seeking a divorce?"
2. "I'm seeking a divorce, your Honor, because I feel I can no longer live in a 2-story house," replied Vicky.
3. The judge frowned and said, "I've never heard such a ridiculous reason given before in this court. Do you intend to waste this Court's time? What do you mean ‘a 2-story house?’”
4. "Let me explain," she said. "In my house, one story I regularly hear is from him is, 'I can’t work because nobody will hire me' and his other story is, 'My mother’s food always tastes better than this.'"
5. I think the Lord also gets tired of two stories He hears; “I can’t work because I’m not good enough” and “I’m going to get committed, just not now.” Today I plan on challenging those 2 concepts.
B. TEXT
1. “…lest Satan should get an advantage over us. For we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Cor. 2:11, KJ21.
2. 10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” Eph. 6:10-18.
C. THESIS
1. There was a boy named Jack Handey, who, when he went to school, was confronted by bully who would demand his lunch money. This happened day after day. Since he was smaller, he’d give it to him.
2. Well, one day he got enough. He decided to fight back. So he started taking karate lessons. But the karate instructor wanted $5 a lesson. That’s a lot of money. After consideration, he figured it was cheaper to pay the bully, than to learn to fight.” [Fuzzy Memories, Jack Handey]
3. I believe there’s a lot of Christians in a similar position: they think it’s easier to compromise – to pay the bully – than learn how to defeat him. That’s because they don’t know that “Greater is He that’s in you than he that’s in the world!”
4. We must know our enemy. Paul says, “We are not ignorant of his devices.” What are his devices/methods? We’re going to look at 5 of them. DEVICE # 1 IS…
I. LABELS EVIL THINGS WITH PLEASANT NAMES
A. CHANGING THE PRICETAGS
1. There was a break-in at an electronics store in the dead of night. The police responded to the alarm, but they didn’t find anything missing. Nothing was stolen. They assumed there had been no crime so they went home. But a crime had happened.
2. In the morning when shoppers came in, they found H.D. flat-screen TVs priced at a $1.50, while Computer cables were selling for $1,500. Batteries were priced at $600, but laptop computers were going for $4.00. [Rich Nathan]
3. What the thieves had done during the break-in was to simply switch the price tags on everything. Satan plays that kind of trick on us! The world has switched the price tags!
4. They’ve been duped into thinking that God’s gifts, which are very valuable (His peace, & the joy of salvation), are unattainable or worthless; so they walk right by them. And they’re told that things like money, popularity, & pleasure are really valuable. So they pursue the worthless & reject the valuable!
B. RENAMING EVIL
1. The world has renamed what God calls “sin.” It’s given sin more acceptable/pleasant names.
2. “Pride” is now “self-esteem.” Materialism is the “good life.” Disobedience is actually a “shortcoming;” and sins have become mere “mistakes.”
3. In 1859, the American Medical Association labeled abortion “wanton and murderous destruction.” But by 1967, it had become “the interruption of an unwanted pregnancy.”
4. What the Bible calls adultery, is now called “an affair;” “Homosexuality” is an “alternate lifestyle.”
5. HUMOR. One time Abraham Lincoln asked a critic, “How many legs would a dog have if you counted its tail as a leg?” The man thought for a minute and then said, “Five.” “No,” retorted Lincoln! “The answer is four. Just calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.”
6. Similarly, we can call sin by another name, but that doesn’t change the fact that it remains sin.
7. AND SIN IS PACKAGED ATTRACTIVELY. You see the cool cigarette smoker, not the cancer patient. You see the stud beer drinker -- not the alcoholic in the gutter, the car accident, or the battered wife. We’re told that marijuana won’t hurt us; but they don’t show us the heroin addict robbing an old lady.
8. Hell employs the best marketing agents in the world! Millions have been caught by this trick. The SECOND DEVICE OF THE DEVIL is…
II. SATAN ATTACKS OUR STRENGTH
A. HITTING US WHERE WE DON’T EXPECT IT
1. If two men fight, they will usually try to discover each other’s weaknesses in order to exploit those to defeat their opponent. No so the devil; he assaults our strengths.
2. Moses’ strength was his meekness (Num. 12:3, KJV). Yet he was provoked into striking the Rock in passion and anger. He failed in the grace he was most distinguished for.
3. Abraham’s strength was his faith (Rom. 4:16) yet his worst sin sprang from his lack of faith. The patient Job (James 5:11) sinned through impatience. The brave Peter fell through cowardice. The gentle and loving John wanted to burn up the Samaritan village (Lk. 9:54) for rejecting the Gospel.
4. Christ’s greatest desire was to save this planet and rule it in righteousness; but the Prince of Darkness tempted Him to take it without having to go to the cross (Mt. 4:9). Paul warns, “Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” 1 Cor. 10:12.
B. DON’T FORGET SAMSON’S SECRET
1. Our strength, like his, is our relationship with God -- through prayer, worship, and the Word.
2. “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray” – Samuel Chadwick.
3. The second goal of the enemy is to keep Christians from studying the Word. It’s perilous to be ignorant of the Bible – of who you are, what your rights are as children of God, ignorant of what God has promised you! The enemy doesn’t want you to know it. The THIRD DEVICE OF THE DEVIL IS…
III. SATAN USES OTHER PEOPLE
A. NOT JUST THINGS, BUT PEOPLE
1. The devil carefully studies his victim (you) and then selects from the people around you the one who can be the most influential to get you to compromise.
2. Remember, at one time Lucifer was a high ranking angel (cherub) with administrative duties; he hasn’t lost any of his skill in choosing the right instruments for his work.
3. When the Lord Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Satan came himself; he didn’t use an intermediary. But the next time, Satan resorted to his regular method.
4. He worked through Simon Peter, Jesus’ friend and confidant, whom Jesus loved and trusted. What better way to get access to Jesus’ heart?
5. Jesus immediately detected Satan’s subterfuge in Peter’s voice and said, “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block…you don’t have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” Mt. 16:23.
B. HE WILL USE OUR CLOSEST RELATIONS
1. It’s one of the Enemy’s tools to use those closest to us to try to hinder us, sidetrack us, or discourage us.
2. At one point Satan provoked Jesus’ mother and brothers to come and confront Him publicly for being “Out of His mind” Mark 3:21,31.
3. David said that his “close friend, someone I trusted” (Ps. 41:9) whom David even called his “guide” (Ps. 55:13) turned against him. This friend betrayed and opposed David.
4. In the midst of Job’s trial his wife encouraged him to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9). David’s wife Michal rebuked him for praising God publicly (2 Sam. 6:16,20).
5. So we’ve got to understand that at times those who are closest to us will be used to try to discourage us from living for God. Jesus said that sometimes “a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household” Mt. 10:36.
6. So don’t be surprised when it happens! The FOURTH DEVICE OF THE DEVIL IS…
IV. SATAN PRETENDS DEFEAT
A. A WARFARE TACTIC
1. Pretending defeat is a well-known tactic to survive or a method to defeat an opponent. Boxers have been known to pretend to be disoriented and open themselves up for a knockout blow. Their opponent senses victory and moves in, being off their guard and careless, and then -- WHAM!
2. Lyudmila Pavlichenko was a Russian sniper on the Crimean battlefield during WW2. She decided to conceal herself in a tree. After two sniper bullets nearly killed her, she decided to ‘fall’ and play dead. Her German opponent, who had recorded 400 kills, moved from cover and began walking away. She stealthily retrieved her gun, fired, and killed him. [Russia's Heroes 1941-1945] Pretending defeat. The devil does that.
B. EXAMPLES OF WEAKNESS AFTER VICTORY
1. Peter boasted that he would never deny Christ. He thought he had victory over fear. Pride goes before a fall! That very night he denied Jesus 3X.
2. After Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness by Satan, it says “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time” Luke 4:13. It looked like he was defeated for good, but he was just waiting until Jesus was vulnerable.
3. Look at Elijah on Mt. Carmel. He called down fire on the sacrifice, had the 450 prophets of Baal killed, and saw the nation fall on their knees and acknowledge God. Praise God, the powers of darkness were overthrown. But the next day a message from Jezebel made him doubt God and retreat in fear.
4. Many a person has prayed through and defeated their lust, their alcohol/ drug addiction, their marital trouble – and then gotten overconfident and let down their guard. Lack of vigilance is the opening/doorway to defeat.
5. Forest fires have happened because a fire appeared to be out, but after the campsite was abandoned, the coals flared back to life. So it is with our sinful natures. We should never assume our old sins are beyond reviving. We should never assume they we’re beyond temptation and trial.
6. So watch yourself! Beware thinking you’re so strong you can’t fall; the enemy is waiting for you to drop your guard! The FIFTH DEVICE OF THE DEVIL IS…
V. SATAN LAYS THE EMPHASIS ON TOMORROW
A. THE EXAMPLE OF GOVERNOR FELIX
1. Procrastination is one of his most successful devices – “Never do today what you can postpone until tomorrow.” It’s the pattern for failure.
2. The Governor Felix, listening to Paul preach, began to tremble under conviction. Paul called on him to make a decision but the devil suggested that he wait for another time.
3. Felix said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you” (Acts 24:25).
4. "Convenient" means “favorable to one's comfort, easy; the
absence of that which annoys.” Felix never did “find it convenient” to surrender to Christ; neither will you!
B. OUTCOME OF PROCRASTINATION
1. “Procrastinate” means “to postpone taking action.” 2 years rolled by with Paul near Felix – yet Felix was not saved.
2. What happened to Felix? History tells us he was “recalled” by Caesar, and would have been executed, except his brother interceded for him. But he was a miserable man. A few years after this (event in our text), he committed suicide, drowning himself in a lake.
3. Felix was similar to many today who:
a. Attend Church, like you; listen to serious preaching...
b. Maybe even shed a tear in church. They may tremble in response to the Presence of the Lord.
c. Church goers think the sermon is good, and agree with Christian beliefs. They may even compliment the preacher!
d. YET AS CLOSE AS THEY GET, THEY’RE NOT SAVED!
4. If you do not take action, if you don’t surrender your life to Jesus Christ, you’re no better than an atheist who denies Christ! Until you surrender ALL and take up your cross & follow Jesus, you’re NOT one of His disciples!
5. Satan is always saying, “Tomorrow” but God says “Today!”
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: DON’T LET GOD’S POWER BE WASTED
1. Erle Stanley Gardner tells about his early days as a writer
of Western stories: “When a writer is writing at three cents a word, he is painfully conscious of the number of words. In fact, when I was typing my own stories. I had an adding machine device connected to the space bar of my typewriter, so that every time I hit the space bar it registered a figure on my word counter.
2. “Without my realizing it, my heroes developed a habit of missing the first five shots, only to connect with the last bullet in the gun. One time an editor took me to task for this.
3. “How did it happen that my characters, who were chain lightning with a gun, were so inaccurate with the first five shots?”
4. I told the editor frankly “At three cents a word, every time I say bang in the story I get three cents. If you think I’m going to have a gun battle over while my hero has got 15 cents’ worth of unexploded ammunition in the cylinder of his gun, you’re mistaken.’” —The Atlantic Monthly
5. Folks, God has given us a whole arsenal of weapons to defeat the enemy. There’s NO REASON for us to be bound, for us to be defeated, for us to be oppressed, depressed, obsessed, or under the enemies’ power.
6. The only way we can lose is if we ignore all the ‘means of grace’ that God has placed at our disposal! God has given us a NEW NATURE inside; He’s given us HIS WORD; FREEDOM; COMMAND OVER THE ENEMY IN THE NAME OF JESUS; HE’S given us the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT; faith as a shield; the BLOOD as a covering the devil can’t cross.
B. THE CALL
1. How many of you recognize that the enemy is trying some of his devices on you?
a. Getting you to see something as good which is bad;
b. Using some person around you to bring you down;
c. Gotten you to fall back into something you’d overcome;
d. Some of you – you keep putting off making a decision, making a change. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. Why not NOW, today?
2. Let’s whip the devil! Greater is He within you! All things are possible! Come on folks, give him a black eye in Jesus’ Name! Prayer of dedication/ salvation.
[The inspiration for this message came from an article of the same name published in the Pentecostal Evangel magazine many years ago, author unknown.]
